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John McEwen Comments On Count John McCormack
Country Life UK
|March 07, 2018
In 1981, Orpen’s biographer Bruce Arnold wrote: ‘He was the most famous portrait painter of his age… Why, then, is he now a forgotten figure… his reputation negligible?’
In 1929, Orpen earned the equivalent of £2.5 million, whereas, between 1940 and 1955, the highest auction price paid for his work was 380 guineas. Today, his pictures are back in favour. Count McCormack was estimated at £400,000–£600,000 in 2009.
This story is from the March 07, 2018 edition of Country Life UK.
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